end of the year

Celebration can be a valuable communication and motivational tool in your career, so don’t hesitate to celebrate your career wins this year.

Commemorating those victories is about sharing milestones, setting sales records, acquiring new skills and achieving goals. Celebrating your career wins this year not only creates feelings of well-being and self-respect, but also encourages your company to continue to give you opportunities to succeed.

At the end of 2016, it’s time to look back on your achievements and take pride. Try these five tips to rejoice in your career wins:

1. Celebrate the Small Wins
Management and career experts agree that breaking down major goals into smaller, achievable milestones not only reduces fear, but increases the chances of successful outcomes. Small wins provide a boost in happiness in employees. A University of Warwick study confirms that happy people are roughly 12% more productive, while another study shows that employees are more creative when they are happy. So go ahead and celebrate even the smallest victory.

2. Share Your Plans and Milestones
Let your co-workers and supervisors know about the wins you had this year and thank those who played a part in achieving those milestones. It’s also a good time to reveal your plans, letting everyone know what you are working toward in the upcoming year. As an added bonus, this will let everyone celebrate milestones along the way.

3. Creates Bonds With Co-Workers
You don’t have to throw a party for each victory you’ve achieved this year, but having a get together of some sort has the added benefit of strengthening your business network and boosting relationships. As your accomplishments are listed, allow others to take part in the event by sharing their milestones as well. If you worked with a team, an end-of-the-year roundup of achievements leaves everyone with a renewed sense of accomplishment and motivation to create more successes in 2017.

4. Keep a Notebook of Career Wins
Success breeds success, so celebrating allows you to build on your momentum. In addition, publicly recognizing your wins creates the perception that you are a high-value employee who creates results for the company. Celebrations not only reinforce the positive opinion others have of you, but also create the impression that you are a desirable employee to know and trust.

5. Allow Yourself to Be Proud
Do not be embarrassed to be proud of yourself. Even if you only celebrate your wins this year by yourself, just knowing what you have accomplished and being proud of your achievements increases self-esteem and motivation. You’ve worked hard this year. You overcame challenges. Go ahead and pat yourself on the back. You deserve it!

Celebrating the good work you’ve done is psychologically important to your career health. You can take a moment, a day, or even a week to feel good about what you’ve done and reflect on how you can do an even better job next year.

How will you celebrate your wins this year? What were your biggest victories? We’d love for you to share your stories with us in the comments section below!

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

10…9…8… The end of the year countdown is here, and many workers are looking forward to a little time off before 2011.

The year may be coming to a close and hopefully, you’re getting to take a holiday break, but business never comes to a complete standstill. And it can be a bit overwhelming to return to work after time away.

Monday, Jan. 3 is the first business day of the new year, and the end-of-the-year countdown can actually feel more like “Ready, set, go!,” as you turn the page to another calendar full of business objectives, projects, and meetings.

Before you close the door on 2010, give yourself some peace of mind this holiday season by preparing for January at work. Even if you’re not planning to take a break this year, every worker can benefit from a fresh start. So, take advantage of the last few days of the year to develop a different perspective.

Follow this checklist to help tie up loose ends and get the new year off to a productive start.

Clear up clutter: Come back to an organized office. Sort through stacks of paper to recycle or throw out unnecessary items. Dust and sanitize your work station. Take home seasonal decorations before you leave. Minimize distractions by eliminating those items that would otherwise delay your fresh start.

Archive your files: Look through that filing cabinet, drawer, or desk organizer. Separate out projects that are finished and store them in another area. Label new files for 2011.

Write detailed action lists: It’s easy to forget exactly what you were working on after some time out of the office. Create a list of action items to complete upon your return. Also jot down the last steps you took in the project’s process. You’ll know exactly how to pick up where you left off.

Manage email: Don’t forget to set your out-of-office message and include whether or not you’ll have access to email. Co-workers will be less likely to send or forward emails if they know you won’t be reviewing them immediately.

Finish up: Consciously decide to finish what you’ve started. You’ve heard it said: “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” It’s easy to postpone projects that you don’t feel like working on, especially right before a break. Prioritize finishing up your projects so you can truly enjoy your free time without the dread of returning to incomplete tasks.

Bring business to a successful conclusion and make 2011 your year by starting it in a prepared way. Do you have other tips that help you transition back to work after the holidays? Share in the comments section.

Tag Archives: end of the year